Writing in The Boston Globe, Chancellor Subbaswamy Cites the Importance of Academic Freedom to Democracy

Citing the 850-year history of formal protection of scholars from government interference and from reprisals for their academic work, Subbaswamy says, “These concepts, the foundation of what we now refer to as ‘academic freedom,’ have, over the centuries, enabled some of the most significant advances in the history of mankind.”

In the age of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” open discourse is more important than ever, he says. “The suppression of opposing viewpoints doesn’t make those viewpoints go away, it only shields them from the critical review that would expose their flaws.”